


A Continuation of Sorts

by Mademoisellesnowflake



Series: A Love Story of Sorts [2]
Category: Romeo And Juliet - All Media Types, Romeo et Juliette - Presgurvic
Genre: Angst, Coming Out, Developing Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, M/M, Stabbing, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2019-01-26
Packaged: 2019-09-17 17:41:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16979019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mademoisellesnowflake/pseuds/Mademoisellesnowflake
Summary: Benvolio is in love. Mercutio is in love. Romeo is in love, but the recipient of his affections still changes every two week.There's kisses, new cousins and a lot of hugs. (Tybalt's also doing a lot less fighting.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, uh, I made a second part to the fic I made and this will have another part because I still have things I wanna write but I'll do that later as I really have to revise some Arabic tonight.
> 
> Warnings for some homophobic parents and a suicide attempt. Mercutio is still trying his best but he's not great with emotions.

In the end, Mercutio’s uncle Vittorio did warm up to Benvolio but before that Benvolio had to go through another terrifying staring contest over Mercutio’s hospital bed. Vittorio looked at Benvolio very carefully, as if he was measuring him, making Benvolio shiver uncomfortably. Mercutio was grinning at Benvolio and would later explain to Benvolio that his uncle had indeed found whatever he had been looking for in Benvolio’s eyes. Vittorio’s gaze was terrifying and reminded Benvolio a little of a hawk looking at its prey. Those eyes alone would probably kill a man, in Benvolio’s opinion.

He made a mental note to never make Vittorio angry because that would surely mean his end.

Mercutio was allowed to leave the hospital only a day after getting hurt. He had to tell his uncle multiple times that he wasn’t going to sue Tybalt for hurting him because he had been fighting Tybalt for months and they’d both hurt each other numerous times. Valentine didn’t exactly agree with the idea but didn’t start arguing because he knew how hard it would be to make Mercutio change his mind.

It later occurred to Benvolio that it was the first time he’d been to Mercutio’s home. The house was near the river Adige and Valentine told excitedly how in the summer they could just go swimming in the river whenever they wanted to because their uncle owned a little piece of the beach. The house itself was – as Mercutio had once told Benvolio – huge. There were two floors and one could easily fit the Montague house into Mercutio’s home at least twice.

“Your home is huge”, Benvolio whispered as he and Mercutio had safely gotten into Mercutio’s room. The room was at the very end of a hallway, separated from Valentine’s room by a bathroom. The room even had a little balcony which Mercutio used to grow some plants.

“It is”, Mercutio agreed as he plopped down on his bed, which probably was at least twice the size of Benvolio’s bed. “It took me a long time to get used to how big it is. I still get lost in here sometimes, especially downstairs because of all the weird rooms. Upstairs is easier because it’s more like a normal home.”

Benvolio sat down on the edge of the bed and took Mercutio’s hand into his own. It was a lot to take in for Benvolio; the house and how Mercutio’s uncle had lived alone in it before Valentine and Mercutio moved there, and how the house was so big that you could actually get lost in it. Mercutio was smiling at Benvolio while Benvolio got all lost in his thoughts.

“You’re doing it again”, Mercutio said. When Benvolio looked at him with a confused expression, Mercutio explained, “You sometimes go all quiet and thoughtful and never really explain what’s going on in your head. What’s on your mind?”

Benvolio smiled softly and leaned back to lie down next to Mercutio. He smiled at Mercutio and squeezed his hand. For all his loudness, Mercutio was really attentive and noticed a lot of small things, which made Benvolio like him even more.

“This house is on my mind”, Benvolio whispered and moved his eyes to stare at the ceiling. “I was trying to imagine how you got used to it after you moved here. And I was wondering how your uncle lived here, all alone, before you and Valentine moved in. It must have been lonely for him.”

“It must have been”, Mercutio said, sighing heavily. He turned to look at the ceiling too and squeezed Benvolio’s hand. “I wasn’t very easy on him after I moved here. I caused arguments every way I could and made sure he knew I didn’t like him at all. I was…I was pretty horrible to him, to be honest. I was feeling terrible and wanted to hurt someone to make me feel better but all that happened was just that I felt worse.”

Mercutio looked a little sad when Benvolio turned to look at him. His eyes weren’t as bright as they usually were, and he was frowning just a little. He was very quiet, as if his feelings were overwhelming him. Benvolio squeezed his hand again and Mercutio turned to look at him, smiling softly.

“Your being here makes it all easier now”, Mercutio whispered, “I don’t feel as bad now.”

Benvolio smiled and squeezed Mercutio’s hand. He felt proud, knowing that he had made Mercutio feel better despite all the pain Mercutio had gone through in such a short time. Benvolio was happy to know that he could make someone happy, even just a little.

“It’s good to know”, Benvolio whispered. He moved his face closer to Mercutio’s and kissed Mercutio’s nose. Mercutio giggled – the sound made Benvolio’s heart flutter like a butterfly – and covered his face with his hands.

“Oh my god”, Mercutio whispered and continued giggling. “I’m giggling because Benvolio kissed me. The world must be ending; my legs are all weak now. You have made my legs and heart go all weird, Montague.”

Benvolio smiled and turned on his side, so he could hug Mercutio. Mercutio was still giggling as he leaned against Benvolio and buried his face on Benvolio’s shoulder. Benvolio kissed the top of Mercutio’s head, making Mercutio giggle even harder. He wrapped his arms around Benvolio and squeezed as hard as he could, making Benvolio cough a little.

“I think I love you a lot more than I originally thought”, Mercutio mumbled against Benvolio’s shoulder. His voice was small and a little bit distant, as if he was voicing his thoughts. “It’s a little scary. To think that someone has become so dear to me in such a short time. It didn’t happen like this before…”

“You can take it slow if you feel you need to do so”, Benvolio whispered, kissing Mercutio’s hair again. Mercutio looked up to Benvolio and touched the tip of Benvolio’s nose with his finger. “Feelings can be weird so it’s better to get to know them slowly.”

Mercutio grinned widely and began tracing little patterns all over Benvolio’s face. The movement was very relaxing, and Benvolio found himself smiling softly at Mercutio, whose eyes were following the patterns he was tracing on Benvolio’s face.

“I think I might be a little drunk on love with you”, Mercutio said, smiling a little crooked smile. “I don’t know what’s going on, but it feels so _good_ to be with you, to have you lie here next to me. I really must be drunk on love.”

“Please don’t get too drunk, though”, Benvolio whispered. He cupped Mercutio’s cheek and brushed his thumb over Mercutio’s cheekbone. Mercutio sighed at the touch and, if possible, moved even closer to Benvolio. His breath was so very warm against Benvolio’s face…

Mercutio’s phone rang suddenly, scaring the two. They identified the ringtone as Romeo’s ringtone – a love ballad Mercutio had chosen as a joke at Romeo’s quest for love – and Mercutio laughed before answering the phone. He put the phone on speaker so that Benvolio could talk to Romeo as well but in reality, Benvolio decided to zone out for a bit, just holding Mercutio’s hand. He heard Romeo and Mercutio talking about a party and he rolled his eyes; of course those two would want to party.

“Are you coming to the party too, Benvolio?” Mercutio asked, grinning mischievously. “It’s being thrown by Juliet’s cousin Rosaline and she said it was alright for you and Romeo to come; she doesn’t mind you guys being Montagues.”

“Well, you two need someone to look after you and I’m not making Juliet do that”, Benvolio said, resigned to his fate. “I’ll come but I want to be standing in the corner or something like that. I’m not good with parties. I’m kind of awkward.”

“ _Oh, we know_ ”, Romeo said from the other side of the line and laughed. “ _Who knows, maybe you’ll find some nice girl and actually have fun in there while Mercutio and I end up all alone._ ”

Benvolio gulped as the dread of coming out returned to his chest tenfold. He wanted to tell Romeo, wanted him to find out, but the dread stopped Benvolio from speaking up every time. Mercutio squeezed his hand and smiled encouragingly before speaking up again.

“Or maybe you will end up pining after Rosaline while Benvolio and I look at you like you’re an idiot”, he said with a soft laugh in his voice. “We know you, Romeo; it’s you who always ends up finding the nice girls.”

“ _I just thought it would be nice for Benvolio to find someone for once_ ”, Romeo muttered and sighed on the other side of the line. “ _Mom wants you home tonight, Ben. She was worried when you didn’t come home last night and was ready to call the police before I could tell her what happened._ ”

“Fine, I’ll come home”, Benvolio said. He zoned out again when Romeo and Mercutio started talking about the party. Benvolio started thinking about the possibility of coming out to Romeo but the whole idea made him break out in cold sweat. He was way too afraid of his cousin hating him for his sexuality, for loving their friend more as just a friend.

He really didn’t want to lose his cousin just because they were a little different.

“Are you really that scared of Romeo?” Mercutio asked. Benvolio’s shoulders jolted up and he looked around, only to realise that Mercutio had ended the call and that Mercutio was looking at Benvolio with a worried expression.

“It’s…I’m afraid of my parents finding out”, Benvolio whispered and looked up at the ceiling again. “They will disown me when they find out and I’m not sure I’m quite ready for that yet. I don’t know where I’ll go when they disown me.”

“Come here?” Mercutio said, sounding a little unsure. “I’m sure uncle would let you stay here with us. If he won’t, I’ll hide you in here and keep you fed and warm and make sure you’re safe. I won’t have you living on the streets, understood?”

Benvolio nodded, hoping he would never have to take up Mercutio’s offer.

* * *

Rosaline Capulet’s party was interesting, to say the least. A lot of the guests were Capulets, or their friends and to add to the odd atmosphere, Tybalt Capulet was there too. He kept his distance – which made Benvolio thankful for the small miracle – but glared at Romeo and Mercutio dangerously. Otherwise the party was actually very nice, even in Benvolio’s opinion. The feed was good, and the people were kind; Rosaline even asked him for a dance. Romeo and Mercutio more or less forced him to dance with her, even though he really didn’t know how to dance, but thankfully Rosaline only found it funny.

Some Capulet girls were trying to make a move on Benvolio and one Capulet boy actually tried to make a move on Mercutio, only to be stopped by Tybalt whose eyes were full of rage. He dragged the poor boy away while Mercutio gave them a mischievous wave. Benvolio shook his head and downed some of the foul-tasting alcohol to not have to deal with Tybalt.

Some time later Benvolio found himself dancing with Mercutio. That is, Mercutio was actually dancing while Benvolio was just swaying around, smiling, as he held Mercutio’s hands. Mercutio was also singing along to the songs, most of all to those of Ermal Meta. Benvolio couldn’t help but smile at Mercutio and how much feeling he used to sing the songs he liked. Romeo had gone off somewhere and no one seemed to mind that Benvolio was dancing with Mercutio – and by god, was it freeing to dance with someone Benvolio loved as much as he loved Mercutio.

They slowly started dancing towards the door, so they could get outside into the fresh air. When the song changed, Mercutio grabbed Benvolio’s hand to lead him outside, and laughed that deep laugh he did only when happy. When they got outside, Mercutio was still laughing and clutching Benvolio’s hand.

“I really am drunk now”, Mercutio laughed. It took Benvolio a moment to understand what Mercutio was referring to, as he too was drunk. “God, Montague, I really like you. I might need to kiss you.”

Before Mercutio could initiate it, Benvolio was already bending him back a little, and kissing him. Mercutio smiled, laughed deep in his throat, and kissed back. He grabbed a fistful of Benvolio’s shirt to remain standing as they kissed. As Benvolio broke the kiss to breathe – he had forgotten how to breathe through his nose – Mercutio laughed again and pushed Benvolio against the wall of the house and began kissing him again. Benvolio laughed too – the kisses made him a little lightheaded – and pulled Mercutio closer to himself.

“Oh, I think I have gotten drunk as well”, Benvolio breathed as the kiss was broken once more. He was smiling at Mercutio and softly brushing his fingers against Mercutio’s cheeks. “I’m very drunk on love with the best man I’ve ever met in my life. I must be worse than Romeo right now.”

“Yes, you are”, Mercutio said, laughing softly as he brushed his nose against Benvolio’s. It was their moment, and theirs alone, and Benvolio would cherish every single memory of it.

* * *

The next day, everything came crashing down on Benvolio.

He noticed it around lunch when everyone seemed to be whispering something and casting sideway glances at him and Mercutio. Benvolio didn’t understand why everyone was staring at him; he wasn’t one f the well-known people at the school. Maybe someone had started an ugly rumour about him, but he found himself not caring much since the rumours usually died out very soon.

Except when they didn’t, of course.

When Benvolio got home, his aunt told him that his parents had tried to call him and had asked her to tell him that they wanted him to call them back. Before he could walk upstairs to make the call, however, his aunt pushed a tabloid into his hands. A tabloid, that had a low-grade photo of him and Mercutio kissing at the party that had been thrown by Rosaline Capulet.

Benvolio felt a little sick to his stomach.

“They’ve seen this and aren’t particularly happy about it”, Benvolio’s aunt said. Benvolio swallowed, unsure of what was going to happen. “If they react badly, tell me, and I’ll try to make it better, alright, Benvolio?”

Benvolio nodded shakily as he made his way upstairs to call his parents. He wasn’t quite sure how he was able to make himself move when he was so absolutely terrified. As he dialled his mother’s number with shaky hands, he realised he should have asked his aunt if Romeo had seen the photo too, and if he’d seen it, what his reaction had been. He sorely hoped Romeo wouldn’t hate him.

“ _Hello?_ ” Benvolio’s mother asked from the other side of the line.

“Hi, mom”, Benvolio breathed out. His mouth was dry, and his heart felt like it would burst out of his chest at any moment. “Aunt told me you wanted me to call you just a moment ago. What is it you wanted to talk about?”

“ _That photo, Benvolio!_ ” Benvolio’s mother almost shouted, “ _what on Earth was that photo? Why is there a photo out there of you kissing a man? On top of that, it’s got the headline_ ‘The nephew of the richest man of Verona spotted with a boyfriend’ _! Are you out of your mind, Benvolio?_ ”

“I…I love him?” Benvolio whispered. His hands were shaking now, and he felt how close he was to a panic attack. “I’m bisexual and I happened to fall in love with him. Surely that’s not a crime?”

“ _It’s a sin, Benvolio!_ ” his mother hissed. Benvolio could almost imagine her expression as she was speaking with that hushed tone. “ _Can’t you remember what they tell us at church? How you end up in Hell for that kind of sin?_ ”

“Why would I end up in Hell for loving someone?” Benvolio asked softly. He really couldn’t bring himself to tell his mother that as soon as he’d moved to his aunt and uncle’s house, he’d stopped going to church since he really didn’t believe in the God they spoke about in there. “I thought love was the greatest virtue of all.”

“ _Not when it’s wrongful like yours!_ ” Benvolio’s mother said curtly. “ _You will leave him immediately and stop that childish talk. Your father and I don’t condone that kind of lifestyle._ ”

“No”, Benvolio said, “I won’t leave him. You can’t make me leave him. For once I’m _happy_ with someone and I’m not letting you take that away from me. I’m not going to change myself to make you happy. Not anymore.”

“ _Then you are no longer my son_ ”, Benvolio’s mother said with ice in her voice, “ _and you will find that your father will not accept your actions either. From now on, you are a stranger to me and my husband. You better find yourself a job._ ”

Benvolio’s phone beeped, signalling that the call had ended. Benvolio lowered his phone on his bed and stared at the wall. Without really understanding what he was doing, he grabbed his biggest backpack and started piling clothes and other essentials into it. He wasn’t really thinking, he only knew he had to leave the house he had finally began to call home.

“What’s going on?” Romeo asked from the doorway. Benvolio turned to look at him; he hadn’t noticed Romeo approaching the room. “What are you doing with that backpack?”

“I’m leaving”, Benvolio muttered. _Oh, trust Romeo to not understand what it would be like_ , Benvolio thought bitterly. _Romeo, who never had to worry about not being normal; Romeo, who could always trust his parents to welcome him home with open arms._

Benvolio pushed Romeo aside as he walked to the bathroom. He gathered whatever essentials he could fit into his backpack and was about to head downstairs, only to be stopped by his aunt standing in front of him and blocking the way to the stairs. Benvolio tried to walk around her, but she stopped him, grabbing him by his arms and pulling him into a hug.

“You’re not going anywhere, Benvolio”, she said. Benvolio could feel himself shaking as she began leading him back to his room. She was talking to him softly, telling him that he would be alright and that she and Romeo’s father would figure something out and that they would never, ever kick him out. As she left Benvolio and Romeo in the room, she told Romeo to stay with him and to make sure Benvolio wouldn’t do anything dumb.

Benvolio slowly sat down on the floor as his aunt closed the door. Romeo knelt down next to him almost immediately as Benvolio leaned forward, burying his hands in his hair and tugging at them. Romeo pulled him into an awkward side-way hug and shushed him softly.

“I called Mercutio the moment I saw the photo”, Romeo told quietly, “I asked him to come over because I knew there would be trouble with your parents. He should be here soon; he just needed to talk with his uncle about something. How bad is it with your parents?”

“I’m no longer their child”, Benvolio whispered. His throat was constricting painfully, and his eyes were prickling but he stubbornly refused to cry. “I refused to leave him like they told me to and they cast me aside. It can’t be a sin to love him, can it?”

“Never”, Romeo whispered as he pulled Benvolio even closer to him. “Love is never a sin. Love is what keeps us going, what makes us see the best in others. It’s what makes us get up from bed every morning and what gives us those butterflies in our chests. How could something like that be a sin?”

“You’re so cheesy, you know that?” Benvolio asked, smiling a little. Romeo nodded and pressed Benvolio a little tighter against his chest, protecting him from the outside world just a little.

They sat there for some time, Romeo talking quietly about normal, everyday things to soothe Benvolio while Benvolio leaned on Romeo’s chest with his whole weight. When they heard the door opening and closing downstairs, Benvolio tried to get up but was pulled back down by Romeo. When Mercutio burst into the room, dishevelled and out of breath, Benvolio was still being hugged by Romeo, who let go only when he could feel Mercutio holding Benvolio secure in his arms.

“I take it didn’t go well with your parents?” Mercutio asked. His voice was strained, like he’d been arguing with someone. As Benvolio nodded, Mercutio made an angry sound at the back of his throat. “Oh, curse them all. What kind of parents are they if they don’t accept you if you’re different?”

“Idiots”, Romeo said before Benvolio could react. “Only an idiot would do that to their son. I’m sorry, Benvolio, but I really don’t have any sympathy for your parents right now. How long did you hide it all because of them? How long have you known you like men? How long did you feel like you had to hide it?”

“Since I was eleven, I think”, Benvolio muttered. He could still remember his first crush on a boy and how it had confused him back then. “I didn’t really have words for it back then. I had crushes on girls too, I think, but I had some sort of preference for boys even back then.”

It felt odd to talk about the secret Benvolio had guarded in his heart for so long. He had forbidden himself to think about it for so long that he didn’t really know how to explain it all to Romeo and Mercutio. He’d never quite had the words to describe what he felt, and the ones Romeo used about himself just didn’t feel the same. He needed something else, words that were stronger than Romeo’s, words that would explain how scared he’d been of rejection and abandonment.

“You thought I’d reject you?” Romeo asked, looking incredibly sad. Benvolio couldn’t look at him, ashamed that he had actually thought that someone as kind as Romeo would reject him.

“To be fair, I thought everyone would reject me”, Benvolio whispered, avoiding Romeo’s eyes. “I grew up with parents who thought that gay children need a beating to turn back straight. If I’d told them as soon as I found out, I’d have been beaten. I’d have become a social outcast at school if I’d come out. I really couldn’t do that at eleven.”

Mercutio squeezed Benvolio’s shoulders. From what little they had talked about their feelings, Benvolio knew that Mercutio’s parents had always been supportive, and that Mercutio absolutely hated the thought of Benvolio suffering alone. Benvolio was truly happy that Mercutio had had parents who’d never even thought of rejecting him, but sometimes he found himself a little jealous of those parents.

“But at least now you know I won’t reject you over something like this”, Romeo said softly and grabbed Benvolio’s hand. “How could I reject my cousin for loving one of my best friends?”

Benvolio’s throat constricted again, this time even more painfully than before. He must have made a noise of some sort, as Romeo and Mercutio both hugged him tighter, and Mercutio quite colourfully cursed Benvolio’s parents to the lowest pit of hell. Benvolio couldn’t stop himself from smiling a little at Mercutio. He would always try to brighten Benvolio’s mood, no matter how and when.

“It’ll be alright”, Romeo said after a moment of quietness. “Mom will think of something. You’ll just continue living here like everything was normal. I’m not letting anyone kick you out.”

“Thanks”, Benvolio whispered. He was still trembling a little as he turned on the music player in his phone and pressed play on the soundtrack of the original _Notre Dame de Paris_ musical. He relaxed a little as the music began playing, filling the room with background noise. Mercutio started singing along with his terrible broken French, making Benvolio giggle a little. Mercutio swayed a little with Benvolio still in his arms, making Benvolio smile.

It was going to be alright, one way or another.

The afternoon passed, and Mercutio was allowed to stay overnight. Romeo’s parents were actually quite insistent on meeting him – according to Romeo they wanted to meet the boy who had gotten Benvolio’s heart – and they were making a point of dining together as a family. Romeo’s father had made some pasta that he knew Benvolio would like, to make him feel a little bit better. Benvolio appreciated the gesture, knowing his uncle was not very good with emotions.

Mercutio, on his part, was absolutely charming. Romeo’s parents immediately liked him when they actually got to know him – before they’d known him only as Benvolio’s odd friend who sometimes stayed the night. It actually felt a little like Mercutio was about to marry into the family, Romeo’s parents really liked him that much. They were all over him, showering him with positive attention – which, on a side thought, must have been quite rare to Mercutio as well – and actually joking with him.

Benvolio actually felt like home and that was odd to him.

After the dinner was cleaned away, Benvolio excused himself to go outside on the porch for a moment. He needed some time alone, to just breathe the cool evening air and calm down from anything that happened during the day. He just needed a moment to look at the stars and to reflect on everything that had happened.

After some moments, Mercutio appeared next to Benvolio, holding his hand. He would not say anything, only exist next to Benvolio and offer silent support. Eventually Benvolio leaned on Mercutio’s shoulder and Mercutio answered by loosely wrapping his arms around Benvolio’s shoulders, embracing him.

There, in Mercutio’s arms, Benvolio did shed a few tears.

* * *

 **Mercutio [14:53]**  
Can you climb up a wall with the help of a rope?  
If you can, you should come over  
There’s a party downstairs and I’m lonely.

Benvolio would be lying if he said he didn’t think he was having a stroke when he read Mercutio’s messages on that Sunday afternoon. He had no idea why Mercutio was about to make him climb up a wall with the help of a rope, but as he knew how to do that, he texted Mercutio that yes, in fact he could. Just a moment later Mercutio texted him back, telling him to come over and bring some snacks. Benvolio found himself shaking his head and packing some of his textbooks and snacks into a backpack and going to Mercutio’s home.

As Mercutio had instructed, Benvolio climbed over the fence and walked right under Mercutio’s balcony. Mercutio was there and as soon as he saw Benvolio, he grinned and let down the rope he had tied to the railing of the balcony. Benvolio sighed and began climbing up with the help of the rope. When he finally made it on Mercutio’s balcony, Mercutio laughed a little and kissed him.

“Leave your shoes on the balcony”, Mercutio said absentmindedly as he opened the door and walked inside. He threw his suit jacket onto the bed and flopped down himself, sighing.

“Did you sneak out of the party?” Benvolio asked quietly as he sat down next to Mercutio. He held Mercutio’s hand out of habit, wanting to be simply as close to Mercutio as he could.

“Uncle said I was allowed to leave if I couldn’t deal with grandma”, Mercutio said softly and looked at the ceiling. “I didn’t really want to deal with her again and Valentine and my cousin Paris were doing just fine job keeping her entertained. Not to mention that she’s already kind of disowned me for being gay.”

“Well, in that case the party does sound kind of boring”, Benvolio said and leaned back to lie down as well. “What do you say if we have our own with some quiet music and snacks?”

“I’d like that”, Mercutio said with a soft smile directed entirely at Benvolio. He looked a little bit tired as he fumbled around his Spotify account before putting on the playlist he’d made for his favourite songs and artists. Benvolio got up and fished the chips and cookies he had taken with him and put those between him and Mercutio. Mercutio immediately grabbed some of the chips and began eating them. Benvolio took out his biology textbook and began reading it, still holding Mercutio’s hand.

“It was Tybalt who took that photo of us”, Mercutio said suddenly. Benvolio almost dropped his textbook as he turned to look at Mercutio. “I talked with Rosaline and she told me she’d seen him walking around with a camera. She was furious when she found out about what your parents did. She told me she would punch Tybalt for this.”

“Oh”, Benvolio mumbled. It was somehow odd to know who had taken the photo that had changed his life rather radically. “What’d he sell the image to the papers for, though? I don’t get that. What would he get from selling the photo?”

“I don’t know; Rosaline is looking into that”, Mercutio said as he munched on some chips. “She thinks it might have been Juliet’s dad. He might have been looking for something to make you Montagues look bad.”

“What an ass”, Benvolio muttered and lay down again. Mercutio grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

They lay there for some time, listening to Mercutio’s music and snaking on the food Benvolio had brought with him. After some twenty minutes, there was a knock on the door and the door opened, revealing a tall man dressed in a suit similar to Mercutio’s behind it. The man had short dark hair and he seemed to be in the process of growing a beard. His eyes were a little apologetic and he was carrying a tray of something.

“What are you doing here, Paris?” Mercutio asked and sat up. “Did you get bored downstairs as well?”

“I – I didn’t really want to deal with grandma anymore”, the man – Paris – said. His voice was very soft and quiet, as if he was unsure about how to talk to Mercutio. “Valentine told me you’d be up here, and I thought that you’d let me here if I had a small offering. Who’s that?”

“This here”, Mercutio said, smiling and gesturing at Benvolio, “is my boyfriend Benvolio. We’ll gladly let you in if there’s enough of that offering for both of us. And if you don’t make faces when we kiss.”

“Deal”, Paris said and stepped inside, closing the door. He gave the tray to Mercutio who made a happy noise when he recognised the pastries on it. He handed one over to Benvolio as he bit down on his pastry, humming with happiness as the taste filled his mouth. Paris smiled as well as he sat down on the chair near Mercutio’s desk.

“So, what brings you here?” Mercutio asked, mouth full of the delicious pastry Paris had given him as an offering. “Was it just because of grandma or is there a secret satanic ritual going on downstairs?”

“No satanic rituals going on downstairs”, Paris said, laughing softly, “I just wanted to be away from everyone for a moment. I was hoping you’d do that thing where you make me annoyed like you always do.”

“Oh no, has Paris been broken?” Mercutio asked in the most infuriating tone he could produce. Benvolio could almost see Paris bristling at Mercutio. “Really, though, is grandma being so bad that my annoying presence is the easiest option to live through?”

“I just didn’t want to deal with anyone there”, Paris mumbled, looking a little sad. Mercutio looked at him with soft worry on his face, as Paris spoke again. “My father is sick, and they said he probably won’t live to see next spring. I was just hoping that the atmosphere here would be a little less suffocating.”

Mercutio had actually paled a little when Paris had explained what had been going on. He looked more than upset as he got up from the bed and walked over to hug Paris. Paris made a little annoyed noise at the back of his throat when he realised what Mercutio was doing.

“Shit man, I’m so sorry”, Mercutio whispered. “That’s really fucked up. Do you have…do you know what you’re gonna do after he…dies?”

“Not a clue”, Paris mumbled. He looked very exhausted as he leaned a little on Mercutio. “Father has been trying to arrange things to be easier for me but in reality, I don’t know how I’ll have to handle all the legal things.”

“That won’t do”, Mercutio said and shook his head. “Uncle is going to figure out something. I’ll talk to him; you can probably live here and then you’ll have to deal with me and Valentine every day. How does that sound?”

“Not bad at all”, Paris mumbled. He then pushed Mercutio, so he would let go of him. “Anyway, let’s talk about happier things. I want to hear everything about you and Benvolio. How did he even get in?”

Mercutio laughed a little at the question and pointed at the balcony where the rope was still tied on the railing. Paris raised his eyebrows as the understanding dawned on his face, and then shook his head a little. This, of course, made Mercutio laugh harder at his poor cousin. The laughter was contagious and even Paris chuckled softly as Mercutio laughed.

“Please tell me that was Mercutio’s idea”, Paris said to Benvolio. “I can’t handle it if there are two people like Mercutio in the family. Most of the time even Mercutio is too much for me to handle, really.”

“It was his idea, but I was crazy enough to do it”, Benvolio said, starting to smile a little. “We make a good team with Mercutio, you see. We like to do wild things together.”

The way Paris had implied that Benvolio was part of the family made Benvolio giddy beyond imagination. To think that Mercutio’s cousin had already accepted him at face value made Benvolio hopeful for the future. Benvolio smiled to himself as he watched Mercutio and Paris chatting with each other. He would gladly be a part of Mercutio’s family if he could.

“Oh, we have to introduce Paris to Juliette and Romeo”, Mercutio said suddenly. He turned to look at Paris who seemed a little curious. “You and Romeo are both hopeless romantics; you’d get along great.”

Benvolio zoned out a little as Mercutio started telling Paris about his friends and Romeo’s quest for love. He knew all the juicy details which made Benvolio pity Paris a little, because Romeo’s quest was indeed wild and quite annoying sometimes. He couldn’t help but laugh a little as Paris looked confused and a little terrified when he heard of Romeo’s wild quest.

Paris would indeed be a fun new friend.

* * *

Paris did move to Mercutio’s home in a month. His father had taken a turn to the worse and eventually needed to stay in the hospital all the time. Mercutio’s uncle was helping Paris to arrange all the legal things as well as he could while Paris was adjusting to the new life situation. He quickly accepted the role of the big brother to Mercutio and Valentine who, in Paris’ words, were infuriating but lovable little shits.

Eventually Paris’ father died, which meant that Mercutio stayed home a little bit more for a week or so, to help Paris around. As Mercutio said, Paris was dealing well with all that happened but losing a parent was never easy and Mercutio wanted to help him in his own weird way.

Around Christmas, Benvolio noticed a change in Mercutio. He had become quieter and more thoughtful and Benvolio often found himself wondering if Mercutio was doing alright as the quietness wasn’t normal for him. He smiled less, and his laugh seemed to have lost its strength, which worried Benvolio. Mercutio’s laugh wasn’t supposed to sound so _weak_ to him.

Around his birthday, Mercutio seemed to regain some of his happiness and general noisiness. He was smiling again, but his smile was odd and hollow. He was still very thoughtful and often lost in some thought he wouldn’t want to explain to Benvolio. His eyes seemed to grow darker, sometimes, when he was thinking, and Benvolio couldn’t help but worry as Mercutio’s eyes had always been light and happy.

It was on the evening of Mercutio’s birthday in March that Benvolio understood why Mercutio had been so quiet.

Mercutio and Benvolio had gone to spend time on the beach of river Adige along with Valentine and some other friends. Even Romeo was there, although he was making heart eyes at someone. Benvolio pitied whoever the poor person was, as they would surely end up hating Romeo with burning passion.

When most of the friends had left, and Valentine had gone to the house to fetch something. Mercutio stood up, walking closer to the water. He wondered aloud how cold the water could be in March, probably not really meaning Benvolio to hear it. When Benvolio frowned and stood up as well, to walk over to Mercutio, Mercutio stepped into the water.

“What on Earth are you doing?” Benvolio asked loud enough to get Mercutio’s attention. Mercutio looked up to him and smiled sadly. “Isn’t that water freezing you?”

“It’s alright, Benvolio”, Mercutio said softly. He turned around and began walking farther away from the beach, to the deeper part of the river. Benvolio ran after him and into the water, not really sure what he was supposed to do. They were waist-deep in the water when Benvolio reached Mercutio.

“What the hell are you doing?” Benvolio asked again. He grabbed Mercutio’s hand, making Mercutio look up at him again.

“No, don’t you dare to stop me now”, Mercutio muttered. He tried to wriggle away from Benvolio’s hold and in the process managed to make himself and Benvolio fall into the water completely.

As Benvolio regained his bearings, he realised that Mercutio had gotten away from him. He swam after Mercutio, frantically looking for him. Benvolio was terrified that Mercutio had drowned. When his hand touched something distantly human-like, he grabbed it and began swimming up for air. As he managed to pull the human-like thing up as well, he noticed that it indeed was Mercutio, who was coughing up some water.

“You weren’t supposed to stop me!” Mercutio yelled in between his coughs. Benvolio began dragging him back to the beach as he protested, trying to get away from Benvolio. As Benvolio’s feet reached the ground, he picked Mercutio up, carrying Mercutio back to the beach. Benvolio realised that Paris was running to the beach as they were about to reach it. Paris hurried to the two of them and helped to drag Mercutio farther from the water.

“Mercutio, stop it!” Paris yelled. Mercutio looked up at him, shaking, as water dripped from his hair and clothes. Paris hugged Mercutio, and by extension Benvolio, who hadn’t let go of him. “It’s alright; we’re here, Mercutio. We love you and I’m not letting go of you until you promise me you won’t try that again. Do you understand, Mercutio?”

Mercutio nodded, unable to speak, and Paris helped him to sit down, as his legs seemed to have stopped working. Benvolio sat down behind him, having wrapped his arms around Mercutio’s chest. It was only then that it really hit Benvolio that Mercutio had tried to drown himself. He pulled Mercutio a little bit closer as Mercutio began crying.

“I knew something was off when you cleaned your whole room yesterday”, Paris mumbled. Kneeling down next to Mercutio, he took Mercutio’s hand and looked at his tear-stained face. “How long have you been planning this?”

“Since January”, Mercutio whispered. “I just needed to make sure you would look after Valentine. I…I needed to know he would be alright after I’d have been gone. And I needed to know there would have been someone who’d check on Benvolio too.”

“Why didn’t you talk to anyone?” Benvolio asked softly. “We could have helped, told you why life is still worth living.”

Mercutio shook his head and sobbed. Paris hugged the two, letting Mercutio lean his head on Paris’ shoulder. He rocked Mercutio – and by extension, Benvolio – a little, to calm Mercutio down.

Somehow, they managed to make their way back to the house. Paris managed to sneak them in without Vittorio noticing them, and ushered Mercutio and Benvolio in the bathroom to wash out the river water and make sure they wouldn’t catch a cold or anything. Benvolio found himself sitting on the toilet seat as Mercutio was taking a quick shower. Paris had found them some clothes to put on after washing themselves and carried Benvolio’s backpack up from the beach.

“Are you angry with me?” Mercutio asked softly from behind the shower curtain. His voice was tired and rough from the tears, which made Benvolio wince inwardly.

“Not with you”, Benvolio admitted, “but with myself. I should have understood what was going on when you became so quiet. I always tell myself I’m good at reading people so how didn’t I see how sad you were? I’m useless!”

“No, you’re not”, Mercutio said, touching Benvolio’s arm. He had wrapped his towel around himself and was looking at Benvolio sadly. “You saved me. I’d say that there are people who are a lot more useless than that.”

Benvolio stood up and gave Mercutio a quick kiss before shedding off his wet clothes and moving behind the shower curtain to wash himself. The water was warm and relaxing, and Benvolio found himself almost falling asleep in the shower. He quickly cleaned himself and found himself a towel to dry himself on. As he was drying himself, he realised that Mercutio was still in the bathroom, looking miserable.

“I don’t want to face them alone”, Mercutio whispered. He was fiddling with the edge of his shirt and looking down, giving Benvolio some privacy. “I don’t think uncle will be happy with what I tried to do.”

“Let me get dressed and I’ll come there with you”, Benvolio said, already pulling a shirt over his head. Soon he was dressed and grabbed Mercutio’s hand, signalling that he wouldn’t go anywhere without Mercutio. Mercutio gave him a tiny smile and stood up, readying himself for the inevitable.

The moment they stepped into the living room, Valentine jumped up from the sofa and hurried over to hug Mercutio. Vittorio walked over too, letting Valentine hold Mercutio as long as he needed to, before he too hugged Mercutio. He pressed Mercutio against his chest and Mercutio shivered.

“Please don’t ever do that again”, Vittorio whispered. Benvolio noticed how pale his face was as he held Mercutio. “I’ve lost too many loved ones already. I’m not losing you if I have any say in it.”

“I’m sorry”, Mercutio whispered. He was shaking, and Benvolio squeezed his hand to remind him that he wasn’t alone. Mercutio let out a shuddering breath as he wriggled away from his uncle and leaned on Benvolio. “I didn’t know how to ask for help. I…I thought your life would be easier without me which made me keep quiet.”

“How could our life ever be easier without you?” Vittorio asked, holding Mercutio’s free hand. “You’ve always been the person who makes us happy with the wild shenanigans you pull on us, like making Benvolio climb up to your room with nothing but a rope to help him. How could our life be easier if our source of happiness is taken away from us?”

“And to be frank, I’d be damned if I let you kill yourself after you helped me after my dad’s death”, Paris said, having walked over to Mercutio and hugged him again. Mercutio let out a shuddering breath as Paris’ words truly sank in. “You do realise we really, really love you, though? You’re our one and only Mercutio and we don’t want to change you for anything else.”

“I’m sorry”, Mercutio whispered again, his voice breaking on the last syllable. Paris squeezed his shoulders and then let go of him, walking to the kitchen, motioning for Mercutio to come after him.

“I made some cocoa – it’s not as good as Romeo’s but I hope it’ll help a bit”, Paris said, waiting for the others to follow. “And by ‘some’, I mean I made some for everyone and a little bit more because I’m not very good at measuring the right amount.”

That made Mercutio giggle a little – a sound Benvolio had sorely missed. Mercutio pulled Benvolio along as he followed Paris into the kitchen. Valentine was on their heels and sat down next to Mercutio, so close that their shoulders kept brushing each other. Benvolio made a mental note to talk about that evening with Valentine later, to make sure Valentine wouldn’t feel like he’d been left alone with his bad feelings.

Later, when Benvolio and Mercutio had gone to bed – Mercutio had asked Benvolio to stay overnight – Mercutio wouldn’t stop fidgeting, as if there was something on his mind. He opened his mouth a lot of times but never managed to say anything. Benvolio was already half-asleep when Mercutio finally regained his voice.

“Are you still awake?” Mercutio asked softly. Benvolio reached over to hug Mercutio and nodded against his shoulder. “Good. I – uh, I have something I need to tell you. I realised some time ago that I’m not exactly as male as I thought I was. I…I think I’m some sort of non-binary person, but I don’t know yet exactly how. If…if you won’t feel attraction to me as a non-binary person, that’s okay, though. I…I just thought you should know.”

“Then you are non-binary”, Benvolio mumbled and yawned a little. “It doesn’t change the fact that I love you to pieces. Do you want me to adjust the way I refer to you?”

“The way you refer to me is just fine”, Mercutio whispered, and Benvolio could almost hear the smile as Mercutio spoke. “Thanks for reminding me why I love you.”

Benvolio smiled to himself as Mercutio hugged him back. They were still learning new things about each other and themselves, trying to fix the hurts of their pasts. Nothing would change how much Benvolio loved Mercutio, his dear whirlwind of emotion who filled Benvolio’s heart with butterflies.

Not ever.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally made a new chapter! As for now, this will be the end of the series unless I get a new idea for this story. I hope you've been having fun during this journey and I thank you for all the comments and kudos you've left so far!
> 
> This chapter includes Tybalt being nice which wasn't what I was planning when I started this thing but then again, nothing goes like I plan it and tbh that's why this whole thing happened in the first place.

Mercutio felt horrible as he woke up. His throat was dry and hurting and it felt like someone had thrown sand in his eyes. Benvolio’s arms were wrapped loosely around Mercutio and as he looked at Benvolio’s sleeping face, Mercutio found himself smiling a little. He wondered how he could ever have been unhappy with Benvolio at his side. He almost believed himself until it hit him.

It was the two-year anniversary of his parents’ death.

It felt like someone had kicked him in the chest. He was left breathless for a moment as the pain of the loss hit him tenfold. He tried to hold his breath against the tears, to not wake Benvolio up. (It was futile, of course he knew that it was futile, but he tried nonetheless.) He briefly wondered if he should try to get up quietly enough to not wake Benvolio up, and go hide somewhere – the kitchen felt like a good place.

It was ridiculous, Mercutio thought, that he had been so intensely planning how to drown himself that he hadn’t even noticed the day drawing closer. It would have been horrible for Valentine, to have his older brother die a day before the anniversary of his parents’ death in the car crash that had almost taken Mercutio as well. Sudden pain struck Mercutio in the chest, making him whimper quietly, still trying to let Benvolio sleep a bit longer.

“What is it?” Benvolio mumbled softly. His voice sounded like he hadn’t even woken up completely yet, but he had felt Mercutio’s distress nonetheless. Mercutio made a wounded noise in his throat and turned around to hug Benvolio.

“It’s the anniversary of my parents’ death”, Mercutio whispered into Benvolio’s chest. Benvolio made a little worried sound and squeezed Mercutio’s shoulders. “I hadn’t realised it was that time of the year again. Imagine if I’d actually drowned yesterday, imagine how horrible that would be for Valentine.”

“I’m so sorry”, Benvolio whispered. He rubbed his nose against the top of Mercutio’s head and in the wild curls. “Is there any way I can help to make you feel better? Do you want me to see if Juliet or Romeo could come over and hang out?”

“Can you hold me for a moment first?” Mercutio asked as his throat constricted. “I’ll be strong in a moment; I just really need a hug now.”

“You really don’t have to be strong on a day like this”, Benvolio muttered as he pulled Mercutio closer and began rubbing his back. Mercutio nodded and grabbed a fistful of Benvolio’s shirt to ground himself.

After some time, there was a knock on the door, and uncle Vittorio asked through the door if Mercutio was already awake. Mercutio managed a soft affirming sound at the back of his throat and soon he could hear his uncle coming into his room, walking heavier than usually.

“I’ve made some breakfast”, uncle Vittorio told softly as he sat down on the edge of Mercutio’s bed. His voice was odd, somehow tired. “I told Paris what day today is and he looked a bit upset. Valentine isn’t up yet; I’ll go check up on him soon. Do you think you’ll be up to eating breakfast?”

“Give me a moment; we’ll be up soon”, Mercutio said. He pushed himself to sit up and rubbed his face. He felt Benvolio’s hand on his back, supporting him wordlessly.

Getting up was a bit of a hassle as Mercutio still felt a little chilled from his trip to the river the previous evening. He really didn’t want to leave the safety and warmth of his bed and in the end, Benvolio had to find a sweater and a pair of woollen socks for Mercutio to get him up. As Benvolio got dressed in a record time, Mercutio made his bed and sat down to wait for Benvolio.

“We should ask Juliet and Romeo to come over”, Mercutio said suddenly. “I want to hear who Romeo has fallen for now. I noticed his heart eyes last night and almost asked him but couldn’t bring myself to do that.”

In truth, Mercutio had felt that if he’d asked Romeo who the girl was this time, he would have needed to see all the events of Romeo’s next short love story. If he’d done that, he had felt like he wouldn’t have had the courage to end it all.

“I’m betting on Chiara from the party”, Benvolio said, chuckling a little to himself. “She’s just his type.”

“I’m betting on Juliet”, Mercutio said, “since Romeo was staring at her most of the evening. I want to see how that plays out if I’m right.”

“If you’re right, we’re all doomed”, Benvolio said, making a face at Mercutio. Mercutio grinned weakly, feeling some of the sadness disappear just by seeing Benvolio. “It will be either Juliet’s dad or Tybalt, I don’t really know which, but someone will murder someone. Hopefully not me or you or Romeo.”

“Or Juliet”, Mercutio added.

The breakfast was a quiet business, with just Benvolio, Mercutio and Paris eating. Paris seemed very upset, not really speaking but casting quick looks at Mercutio. It was like Paris had lost all of his very few words on the morning, as he had heard how difficult the day would be for Mercutio and Valentine. Mercutio hoped for a reaction, just something, really, as he really couldn’t take the pitying looks.

Eventually Benvolio and Mercutio returned to Mercutio’s room, where Benvolio sent messages to Juliet and Romeo in their group chat, inviting the two to come over. Juliet answered immediately to let the boys know she would be coming over with some chocolate and iced tea. Romeo answered much later, not having woken up very early on the weekend, and told that he wouldn’t be there before midday.

Benvolio and Mercutio cuddled the morning away, waiting for their friends to turn up. Eventually they did, coming up together with Paris who had let them in. Juliet looked a little upset, but Romeo looked more distraught than ever. He actually ran over to Mercutio to hug him, not letting go even when Juliet joined the hug with slightly more force than necessary.

“I told them”, Paris mumbled, “about yesterday and today. I thought it better if they knew.”

“I’m sorry I left so early yesterday”, Romeo said, rocking back and forth. “I’m sorry I didn’t stay longer to have fun with you. I should have noticed that you weren’t alright. Was it because of the anniversary? Or have I done something that hurt you?”

“It wasn’t you”, Mercutio said softly. He hugged Juliet and Romeo back, and continued, “I was so immersed in the bad feelings that I didn’t even realise what day it is today until this morning. I’m glad Benvolio stopped me from going through with it because it would have been absolutely horrible for Valentine. Imagine it: losing your brother a day before the anniversary of your parents’ death.”

“I’m glad you’re still here with us”, Juliet whispered and kissed Mercutio’s forehead. Mercutio nodded and squeezed Juliet’s hand, not finding the words to reply. They stayed like that for a bit, drawing strength from each other as they tried to calm down from their respective emotions.

“There is some chocolate cake in the fridge”, Paris said softly, “do you want me to bring some here? I can get you some lemonades too.”

“That’d be nice”, Mercutio said, attempting to smile at Paris. Paris smiled at the teens and left the room, taking the conversation away with himself. Mercutio leaned back to Benvolio’s direction and Benvolio caught him in a hug.

Romeo suggested that the friends would watch a film together and after Juliet’s suggestion, they ended up watching a French film called Amelie that she absolutely loved. Mercutio found himself liking the film as well, especially the curious atmosphere of it, and the music that reminded him of summer. Paris ended up watching the film too, as he seemed rather interested in it. The music in the film calmed Mercutio, and with the way Benvolio stroked his hair, Mercutio found himself relaxing.

“I’d like this”, Benvolio commented halfway through the film, “looking for little clues in the world to find the person I’m looking for.”

Mercutio was about to reply when he noticed movement on the balcony. Someone had climbed on it using the rope Mercutio had left out for Benvolio if he ever decided to visit Mercutio during the night. As Mercutio looked closer, he noticed the familiar mullet of Tybalt Capulet who had used to climb up the same rope as Benvolio when Mercutio still had been friends with Tybalt.

Tybalt, the traitor who broke Mercutio’s heart.

Mercutio shot up, making his way to the balcony with his legs shaking and eyes flaming with rage. How could Tybalt just show up on a day like that? What in the world was he doing on Mercutio’s balcony anyway? Hadn’t he made it quite clear that he wanted nothing to do with Mercutio, the delinquent boy who lived with his uncle and who had fallen for the Capulet boy everyone liked so much?

“What are you doing here?” Mercutio asked, making Tybalt’s shoulders jolt.

“Uh…I heard about your parents and wanted to – I don’t really know – make it better somehow?” Tybalt stammered. He fished a bar of chocolate from one of his coat’s many pockets and handed it over to Mercutio. “You never told me that they’d died, you know. If I’d known, I’d tried to make things better earlier. I know I’ve been pretty horrible to you lately and, uh…I, I really should have thought about it before, but –”

“‘Make it better’, you say?” Mercutio whispered, his voice shaking with sudden anger. “You – you can’t possibly think I’d forgive you after all the ways you hurt me back then? You really can’t be imagining I would greet you back in my life as if nothing happened between us, as if you didn’t tell me no one could love a gay boy like me. You’re not allowed to do that, Capulet”

Mercutio spat out Tybalt’s name, hoping to inflict even some pain on the young man standing in front of him. The sympathetic looks Tybalt was giving him infuriated Mercutio even more and he felt the flames of rage inside his chest.

“I just hoped I could at least try to help you”, Tybalt mumbled.

“You hurt me!” Mercutio shouted, scaring even himself with the sudden outburst. “You made me hate myself! How are you supposed to be able to help me after the way you hurt me?” Mercutio knew he was breathing and speaking too fast but as he began, he really couldn’t stop it. “I was already wanting to die when you dumped me! Guess how much worse you made my self-loathing, Tybalt; guess how many pieces you broke my heart in! Guess how close I was to jumping into Adige that night!”

The outburst left Mercutio momentarily breathless. As Tybalt tried to reach out to Mercutio, Mercutio swatted his hand away, screaming a curse at him. He grabbed the front of Tybalt’s coat and shook Tybalt a little.

“Can you imagine that, Capulet?” Mercutio asked, his voice breaking as the tears he hadn’t shed during the morning finally made their way down his face. “Can you imagine wanting to die because no one loved you? Can you imagine the desperation of just wanting someone to love you? Just anyone, really…”

Someone’s arms were wrapped around Mercutio from behind and Mercutio let out a small hiccup. Mercutio let go of Tybalt’s coat and sobbed as Benvolio hugged him, rocking him back and forth.

“You should leave”, Benvolio said quietly to Tybalt. “Talk to him when he’s better but please, not now. He can’t take it.”

Mercutio felt himself being led back into his room. Someone helped him to sit down on the bed and began rubbing his hands as his breathing sped up. Someone was talking to him, but he couldn’t make out the words, only the soft voice. Someone else was hugging him and rubbing his shoulder in a vaguely comforting motion and Mercutio pressed himself against whoever was hugging him. His chest and throat were hurting from the crying, but he couldn’t stop himself. Tybalt’s appearance had opened a wound in his heart that was now refusing to close.

“He’s gone away now”, Juliet whispered somewhere to his left, “and he won’t come back to hurt you. He promised he’ll leave you alone for now. He’ll have to cross me and Romeo and Benvolio if he wants to get to you.”

Mercutio nodded, still teary-eyed. After a few moments, he identified the person hugging him as uncle Vittorio whom he hadn’t heard entering. Uncle Vittorio was gently rocking Mercutio in the same way Mercutio’s parents had done when he had been a child. A new wave of sadness hit Mercutio and he grabbed his uncle’s arm almost desperately, trying to ground himself.

“It’s alright; we’re here with you”, uncle Vittorio said softly as he rubbed Mercutio’s shoulder with his free hand. “You don’t really need to deal with this day alone. Just come to anyone and we’ll try to help you somehow.”

Mercutio nodded again and pressed himself against his uncle’s chest. He wanted to convey how grateful he was for all the support his family was giving him, but he couldn’t find words for it. He was afraid that if he started to speak, he’d break down again.

Someone else hugged Mercutio from his left side and Mercutio immediately recognised Valentine’s curly hair as he turned his head to look at the mystery hugger. Valentine looked tired and his eyes were red and puffy in a way Mercutio had never seen them. He looked a bit shaken as he squeezed his eyes shut and held Mercutio even tighter.

“Can I be here with you guys?” Valentine asked softly. “I don’t feel that good being alone in my room. It’s so big and empty and I really just need to know you’re still here.”

“Yes”, Mercutio breathed, “yes, you can stay here with us as long as you need. We won’t be going anywhere.”

Mercutio wriggled away from his uncle’s hug and lay down on his bed while still hugging Valentine. Valentine wriggled around a bit until he found a comfortable position to lie in and rubbed his face against Mercutio’s shirt. Benvolio and Juliet followed suit, Benvolio lying down next to Mercutio and Juliet next to Valentine. Even after uncle Vittorio had left, ushering Paris away as well, Romeo was still sitting up but moved so that he was sitting next to Juliet on Mercutio’s huge bed.

“Is there any way I can make you feel better?” Romeo asked quietly.

“Just be yourself”, Mercutio said, giving Romeo a look that was rather close to a smile. “You are good at making me feel happy by just being you. You never try too much.”

“Then I will”, Romeo said, smiling at Mercutio as he too lay down on the bed and began telling the story of how he’d gotten a little lost on the previous evening as he’d tried to walk home alone.

The friends spent most of the afternoon lying on Mercutio’s huge bed and talking about everything and nothing. Juliet told of her little trip to France the previous summer and how she’d spent an amazing week in a little mountain village with her family. She also told how some French boy had tried to chat her up and how her mother’s good friend, who had been Juliet’s nanny as she’d been little, had almost started crying at the thought of Juliet marrying off.

“I didn’t have this last year”, Mercutio whispered to Benvolio in the evening, after Juliet and Romeo had begun playing some board game they’d found in Mercutio’s closet. “I didn’t have anyone distracting me from the bad feelings. I thought uncle hated me and that the world would be better off without me. I…thank you for showing me I was wrong.”

“I’d do that anytime”, Benvolio said and kissed the tip of Mercutio’s nose. “We’d do that anytime. The world is much funnier when you’re there, making me pull wild stunts on people and joking about Romeo’s love life.”

Mercutio giggled softly and kissed Benvolio. Valentine, who had fallen asleep hugging Mercutio, made a protesting noise at Mercutio’s movement, clearly wanting to keep Mercutio all to himself. Mercutio smiled at him too and squeezed his shoulders.

Later, when Juliet and Romeo had gone home, and Benvolio had left to fetch some of his textbooks from the Montagues’, Mercutio found himself sitting in the living room with his uncle who was watching the news while Mercutio listened to some music on his phone. Uncle Vittorio was smiling softly at Mercutio who was looking so peaceful as he cocooned himself inside a blanket and started surfing on the internet as he waited for Benvolio to return.

“What are you listening to?” uncle Vittorio asked. Mercutio looked up at him, surprised to realise that his uncle was actually trying to get to know Mercutio more. In about half a year the man on the other side of the sofa had gone from being one of Mercutio’s worst enemies to a person who, to Mercutio’s surprise, actually cared about Mercutio and wanted to understand him.

“Fabrizio Moro”, Mercutio whispered, looking down at his phone, feeling a little bit embarrassed even though he knew that he had no reason to feel like that. “I like his songs. They’re so full of emotion.”

“Yes, he is very talented”, uncle Vittorio agreed. “I should get to know his music more.”

Mercutio felt appalled, to know that his uncle actually said that. It actually made Mercutio feel a little proud, to hear that his uncle would want to know what kind of music Mercutio liked, as small as it might have sounded like. Mercutio smiled a little as he looked down at his phone once more.

“Hey uncle?” Mercutio asked softly. When uncle Vittorio looked up, Mercutio whispered, “thanks for taking me and Valentine in. Thanks for not letting us to end up living with grandma. I’m sorry for how I behaved before I…before you cleared things up. I was a real ass back then”

Uncle Vittorio moved closer to Mercutio and hugged him. “It’s alright”, he said, “I know what you were going through back then. I wish I had tried talking to you sooner and found out what really was going on with you. It could have saved you a lot of loneliness.”

Mercutio nodded against his uncle’s shoulder. “There’s one more thing, uncle”, he said suddenly. “I think I’m non-binary. I’m still pretty unsure about it; I just wanted to tell you.”

“Alright”, uncle Vittorio said and patted Mercutio’s back gently. “Will you tell me when you figure out more about it? And tell me if you want me to adjust the way I refer to you.”

Mercutio nodded and smiled a little, realising that the day hadn’t ended up being all that horrible, after all.

* * *

Some weeks later Romeo dropped the bomb. He had desperately fallen for Juliet and didn’t know what to do with himself. Mercutio and Benvolio were rolling their eyes as they heard the news, and they secretly hoped that Juliet wouldn’t end up hating them if she ended up hating Romeo. Mercutio and Benvolio liked her too much to lose her friendship over Romeo’s dumb infatuation.

Which made them incredibly happy to find out that Juliet was also head over heels for Romeo. They had been mutually pining for each other ever since Mercutio’s birthday party but hadn’t really wanted to make the first move, seeing as Mercutio was still feeling bad on most days. But eventually Juliet had made the first move, confessing to Romeo that she liked him, and Romeo, ever the dramatic, had gone absolutely wild, twirling Juliet around.

Mercutio had gone wild when he’d heard the news as well. He’d jumped up and down, hugging both Juliet and Romeo and telling the two how happy he was for them. They ended up going out for some ice creams to celebrate the good news and spending most of that evening wandering around the city with no worry for tomorrow.

“We need to do something bigger to celebrate this”, Mercutio said as they lounged around in a little park near Juliet’s home. She had taken up a bench with Romeo, who was hugging her, while Mercutio and Benvolio were sitting on some branches on a nearby tree. The air was getting warmer and they could actually hang around without thick coats or anything like that.

“Let’s go on a picnic to lake Garda”, Juliet suggested, her eyes lighting up. “We could ask Valentine and Rosaline to come with us as well, and maybe have Paris drive us there since none of us actually has a licence and he’s got a mini bus, hasn’t he? Oh, that would be so nice, wouldn’t it?”

“Oh, let’s do that”, Mercutio agreed, smiling widely. “We really need to make Paris and Rosaline come to have fun with us more often.”

They decided to go on the picnic on the following weekend and have the best time there. Mercutio secretly thought that his uncle really needed the time he would get off from all of his nephews having gone away somewhere. He had been a little worried for uncle Vittorio ever since the anniversary of the death of Mercutio’s parents since uncle Vittorio had seemed a little bit more exhausted than usual.

Mercutio secretly hoped he’d know how to help his uncle.

* * *

As their last year in the school was fast approaching, the friends had to start thinking what they’d want to study and what career they’d like to pursue. Romeo knew he would continue his parents’ business and study business and accounting for that, but Benvolio could do whatever he wanted with his life. Mercutio was thinking of going to study medicine in Mantua. Benvolio wasn’t sure what he would study but he knew that he’d follow Mercutio to Mantua somehow. Romeo would stay in Verona as he could study business there, and Romeo’s parents told Benvolio that they would support Benvolio’s studies financially whether he decided to stay in Verona or go somewhere else.

Eventually Benvolio decided to become a chef, as he’d always liked cooking and making up new dishes. On his last year of school, he applied to a school in Mantua while Mercutio applied to a medical school there and to their joy, they both got in. Uncle Vittorio had a small apartment there and he suggested Mercutio and Benvolio could move there for the time of their studies. The boys accepted the offer gladly and moved during the summer after their graduation.

Juliet and Romeo had both been accepted to university in Verona and they stayed there, sometimes visiting Mercutio and Benvolio during weekends. Sometimes they did sightseeing tours in the city as none of them had been there before Mercutio and Benvolio moved over.

One evening during their second year in their respective studies, Mercutio and Benvolio had gone out on a date. They’d had dinner in a restaurant Benvolio had worked in during the previous summer and after the dinner, they’d gone for a walk in the city. They were admiring the moon from one of the town squares when someone bumped on Mercutio. Mercutio let out a little gasp of pain as he felt something sinking into his side.

A knife. Someone had stabbed him.

“What is it?” Benvolio asked, smiling softly. The smile morphed into an expression of horror as Mercutio touched his side and Benvolio noticed the blood. Mercutio fell down sideways on the old cobblestones.

“Oh god, no”, Benvolio whispered and then shouted, “Help! Someone call an ambulance! This man is bleeding!”

Someone hurried to Mercutio’s side, pulling a cloth out of their backpack and handed it over to Benvolio, giving him the order to press the cloth on Mercutio’s side, on his wound. The man, Mercutio realised, took out his cell phone and dialled a number – the emergency service – and grabbed Mercutio’s hand.

“Don’t you die now”, the man – Tybalt Capulet! – whispered. “Don’t you dare to die, little gay boy.”

Mercutio squeezed Tybalt’s hand and cried out in pain as Benvolio pressed the cloth onto his side even harder. Tybalt was talking on the phone, explaining what was going on and why the ambulance needed to hurry. He was squeezing Mercutio’s hand, his hand brushing over Mercutio’s knuckles from time to time.

There were black spots at the edges of Mercutio’s vision. God, he couldn’t die, not when he had been so happy with Benvolio, not when he had finally gathered the courage to ask Benvolio if Benvolio wanted something concrete for their relationship. Not when he had gathered the courage to ask Benvolio if he’d want to marry – or, well, the closest thing they could have to marriage.

He couldn’t die before he could actually ask Benvolio.

“The ambulance will be here soon”, Tybalt said to Benvolio, “just keep pressing on the wound until they’re here and say you can move over. Hey, Mercutio, keep your eyes open. Now, can you tell where you are?”

“Ha, very funny”, Mercutio managed to cough between the painful shudders. He was cold, oh so cold, lying on the pavement like that. He really hoped the ambulance would get to him on time. He didn’t want to break his family’s heart by dying from a damned stab wound. “The hell you doing here anyway?”

“I study here, buffoon”, Tybalt said, “but I’ll tell you everything at the hospital only when I know you’ve made it, so don’t you dare to die.”

Mercutio was about to answer when a pulse of pain hit his side, making him cry out in pain. Benvolio said something but his voice was shaking so badly that Mercutio couldn’t make out the words. He wanted to reach out to Benvolio, to tell him everything was alright, but his arm wasn’t moving right, and speaking was really difficult with all the pain disturbing his thought process.

He just wanted Benvolio to know he would be alright.

* * *

The first thing Mercutio noticed was the bright hospital light. The second was that there were two people sitting on the opposite sides of his hospital bed: Benvolio was sleeping on his left side, still holding onto the bloodied cloth, while Tybalt was sitting wide awake on Mercutio’s right, looking a little bit worried.

“I couldn’t get him to let go of that towel when I got here”, Tybalt said. He looked spent, which was probably a given, as he’d seen someone bleeding like that. “I barely got him to calm down enough to fall asleep. He was so afraid that you’d die while he slept.”

Tybalt had grown, Mercutio realised. He had grown a little dumb beard and his hair was a little grown out, with that odd blond streak combed back with the rest of the hair. There was something soft, almost gentle in his eyes as he looked at Mercutio.

“Thanks, I guess”, Mercutio mumbled. He couldn’t really understand why Tybalt cared so much, considering how he had hated Mercutio when they’d been younger.

“I called Juliet and your cousin”, Tybalt continued, “your cousin is driving here as we speak with your uncle and your brother. Juliet will drag that boyfriend of hers here tomorrow. I promised to wait here with you and Montague until your cousin is here. I hope that’s alright.”

“Sure”, Mercutio mumbled, moving his gaze towards Benvolio who was still asleep, clutching the bloody towel. “Wait a minute”, he said suddenly, “you called my cousin? How do you know my cousin?”

Tybalt blushed and looked away from Mercutio, looking a little flustered. “I went out with him once two weeks ago”, he muttered. “He gave me his number because we were supposed to meet up again. I didn’t realise you were cousins until two days later and messaged him to make sure I wasn’t mistaken. He told me you two really are related.”

“I thought you were straight”, Mercutio said dumbly.

“So did I”, Tybalt mumbled, still looking away. The hospital room fell silent after that, as Tybalt refused to elaborate on what he’d said.

Suddenly Benvolio made a sound and, before either Tybalt or Mercutio could react, he woke up with a start. He looked around for a moment, looking like he didn’t know where he was, before his eyes landed on Mercutio. He sighed relievedly and tried to stand up, only to fall down because his legs wouldn’t carry him. Tybalt hurried to him and helped him up.

“Let me help you”, Tybalt said as he hoisted Benvolio back on his feet. “You should let go of that towel and wash your hands. It might feel difficult, but I’ll help you.”

Tybalt led Benvolio to the bathroom that was joined with the hospital room, while explaining to Benvolio what he was about to do. Mercutio listened as Tybalt managed to get Benvolio to let go of the towel and how Benvolio’s breathing sped up as he saw the blood on his hands. Eventually Tybalt managed to calm Benvolio down and get him to wash his hands before leading him back to Mercutio and helping him sit down on the chair he had pushed closer to Mercutio. Benvolio grabbed Mercutio’s left hand and squeezed it.

“How are you feeling?” Benvolio asked. His eyes were wide and glistening a little as he looked at Mercutio. Those blue eyes were so filled with love, that Mercutio felt his heart swelling a little.

“A little sore, but happy to still be here”, Mercutio said, smiling at Benvolio. Benvolio bowed his head and kissed Mercutio’s knuckles. He was shaking a little as he looked up at Mercutio who was still smiling at him.

“I love you”, Benvolio whispered, “I was so afraid there at the square. I was so afraid you would die before I’d be able to ask you to be my husband. I was so afraid I would lose you before I could tell you how much you matter to me, how much I love you.”

Mercutio’s smile morphed into a little ‘o’-shaped expression of surprise. Had Benvolio just really said that he’d wanted to ask Mercutio to become Benvolio’s husband? Had he really thought the same as Mercutio had been thinking before their little romantic date?

“I mean I know we can’t legally get married here in Italy unless they change the law”, Benvolio continued, “but there’s the civil partnership thing we could have. We would have mostly the same rights as a married couple. Do you think you’d want that with me?”

Mercutio laughed, unable to contain his glee. “Yes!” he laughed. “Yes, I want that with you. I was going to ask you that tonight but that stabber got in the way and now you’ve beat me to it. Yes, I want the civil partnership!”

Mercutio laughed as Benvolio leaned over and showered him with kisses. He was so happy that he couldn’t contain himself, and he pulled Benvolio closer to press a kiss on his lips. Benvolio helped him to sit up and sat on the edge of the hospital bed so that he could hug Mercutio and hold him close. Mercutio was still giggling as the door to the hospital room opened and Valentine barged in, followed by Paris and uncle Vittorio.

“You’re alive!” Valentine managed before dashing towards Mercutio and hugging him. He pressed his face against Mercutio’s chest and drew in a shuddering breath. Mercutio stroked his hair to calm him down.

“You keep scaring me half to death”, uncle Vittorio said and sat down on the chair Tybalt had previously occupied. “I’m surprised I don’t have one foot on the grave already. How are you feeling?”

“Aside from being a little sore, I feel the happiest I’ve been in a long time”, Mercutio said, smiling widely. “Benvolio and I will get a civil partnership. I know it’s not really a marriage but I’m so happy about it!”

Valentine squeezed Mercutio a little harder. Uncle Vittorio had gotten up and walked over to Mercutio to hug him and Benvolio. He laughed a little as Mercutio’s words really sunk in.

At the back of the room, Tybalt was attempting to slip away unnoticed, so that he wouldn’t disturb the happiness of the family in front of him, but Paris stopped him. He grabbed Tybalt’s wrist before Tybalt even was at the door and closed it before Tybalt could say anything.

“Thank you. For saving him”, Paris said, looking deep into Tybalt’s eyes. “Thank you. I knew you were a good person. Thank you, Tybalt.”

“I’d have done that for anyone, really”, Tybalt said lamely. “I just wanted to make it alright to him, somehow.”

“You did”, Paris said, “and you saved my uncle’s heart from breaking.”

“I…should get going”, Tybalt muttered and managed to free his hand from Paris’ grip. “See you next week?”

Paris nodded and let Tybalt go before walking over to Mercutio’s hospital bed. Mercutio grinned at him and reached out his hand to grab Paris’ hand for a little bit. Paris smiled at him and allowed himself to be pulled closer for an awkward five-person hug.

At that moment, Paris knew that his absolutely abysmal cousin would be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments feed my soul and give me more inspiration to write so I hope you leave me one :^)

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment telling your opinions on this so I may make some more fanfiction that makes people happy (I really hope it does make people happy)


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